Mölders, Destroyer museum ship in Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Mölders is a guided missile warship of the Lütjens class now open to visitors at the German Marine Museum in Wilhelmshaven. The gray steel hull reaches 134 meters in length and carries a 127-millimeter gun forward plus missile launch rails aft.
Built between 1966 and 1969 at Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine, the warship was commissioned by the German Navy in 1969. After 34 years of service in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, active duty ended in 2003 and the vessel moved to Wilhelmshaven.
The ship is named after Luftwaffe Colonel Werner Mölders; his mother Anne-Marie christened the hull at its 1967 launch. Visitors can see the crew's quarters, messes and radio rooms, and the ship's bell and nameplate recall this dedication.
Mölders lies at the German Naval Museum in Wilhelmshaven, where visitors reach the ship by gangway and walk through its decks and compartments. The hull is 134.4 metres long with a beam of 14.4 metres, so allow time to cover the length of the ship. Access between levels is by steep ship ladders, and the museum displays the vessel as a floating exhibit.
During Operation Sharp Guard in 1992, the warship stopped a cargo vessel carrying T-72 tanks and enforced the weapons embargo against Yugoslavia. This action showed how warships in the 1990s controlled international sanctions on the open sea.
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